Wall construction and device therefor



June 13, 1944. RY -2,351,525

I WALL CONSTRUCTION AND DEVICE THEREFOR Original Filed Jan. 6, 1939 INVENTOR 74 ?J///4LL A. Lf'A/EY.

BY (wiw ATTORNEY Patented June 13,1944

T F -ICES WALL CONSTRUUIION AND-DEVICE- THEREFOR Marshall L. Leary, Columbus, Ga. Original application Jami 7Clalms.

This invention relates to wall constructions especially to wall constructions utilizing a plaster receiving base such as plaster .board or plaster lath. The invention particularly relates to such constructions utilizing a plaster receiving base supported on studs by means of a device fastened to the studs and engaging the edge 01' the plaster receiving base or plaster board.

Many devices and constructions have been proposed in which a plaster receiving base such as a plaster lath or plaster board is supported upon the frame of the wall, usually constructed with studs and ceiling joists; In many oi these constructions a clip of metal is fastened to the stud or the joist insuch a way that the board or lath may be held in place bythe bearing of a portion of the clip upon the outer face 01 the board or lath. Some 01' the devices utilized have been formed so that the board may be slipped into place after the device has been fastened to the supporting stud or joist. In some cases such devices also have been used to engage the meeting edges oi two adjacent lath or boards or other types 01' panels without being fastened to a support, the panels .being fastened at other points, such as to intermediate studs or joists, as by nailing.

In such prior devices andconstructions certain disadvantages and inconveniences in handling and erection have been experienced. In

due to the particular methfacing if rigidly fastened thereto. of the plaster receiving base can be If the support My Divided and this 1941, Serlal No. 391,M5

6, 1939, Serial No. application May 2,

stud orbeam relative to the completed combined plaster base and its "facing without transmi tin thereto the moving force, then cracking of the plaster facing over the joints between the abutted plaster boards or other base sheets or panels will be prevented or greatly minimized.

In some of the prior attempted to bring about this condition movement of the stud or joist has been permitted by a rather stiii though resilient spring member fastened to the stud or joist at the outer part oi which spring member is attached a clip or dea somewhat resilient connection between the clip and the stud or joist is absent as such devices become complicated and. diflicult 01 attach ment. Moreover, the position of. such i'astening devices must be predetermined upon the stud in order that the clip portions, that is, the flange portions of the device which engage the edges of the abutting plaster .board or lath, shall become correctly positionedto receive these plaster boards or lath for proper construction of the wall with these boards or lath in substantially abutting relation when the other end of the spring member is fastened to the stud or joist. Other devices of the prior art have been attached rigidly to the stud or beam and either held by iric tion of a fastening nail or inmost cases with the nail driven through the device and through the edges of the plaster board or lath itself. when the last-mentioned condition obtains there is no opportunity for movement of. the stud or joist to take place relative to the plaster and rela-- tive to the plaster coating carried on the face 01 said base. The result is that cracking is not pre vented. In certain of the prior art devices, also, friction of the plaster board or lath or other base sheet against the face of the stud or joist has not been eliminated, in fact, has been relied upon to hold the board in place, the clip or fastening device bearing on the outer face to hold the board against the stud or joist.

In the applicant's invention a feature of certain devices of the prior art is retained, namely,

art devices which have aseries of boards extending acrossfthe wall. The result off such accumulation of edge separation 'in" aseries of boards across the' wall or ceiling surface,namely', that at: some studs oriolstssome boards cannot". be lapped upon the stud or joist for support of their edges, is avoided- Insimpleform the-applicant's device consistsoffarweb having a pair of flanges entendingjgenerally inxthe same directionat" right angles to the planeofithe web. One of-these'flanges'may in somecases' bear fiat upon the outer or front facesof 'thestudaoriceiling' joist which is parallel to the faced the wall and the other flange is intended tobear or lap upon th outer face of the panel of plasterboard or lath inserted between the flanges with an edge thereof closely adjacent the web. The device is so formed thatitiwill engage the plaster board or lath inserted between the 'flan'ges'without the use of nails :or

limited to sheets beother fasteners. Whilenot tween boards meetingat a corner, it, is particularly advantageouswhen used in such positions. The device'isof such form that it will cooperate withthe device disclosedand claimed in my copending U. S. application, Serial No; 249,545, filed Jan. 6, 1939, andximconstructions utilizin the device there of the studs or supporting .structure' to take place without bringing strain upon the plaster facing or the plaster board upon which'this facing is applied. :A particularfeature of the present invention'isthemeans. which are provided for engagingor gripping thepiaster boards to hold the device in its proper operative position without fastening the device to studs or'a supporting frame.

The invention-willbe moreclearly understood from the description .to follow taking into consideration. the drawing, in which Fig. 1 shows a wall construction at a corner utilizing the clip of the invention.

Fig. 2 shows a separate viewof a clip embodying the invention.

In the figures th clip no isformed with flanges 2, 3, 8', 9, l8, 1 and "extending-from the web I at rightangles theretoand parallel to each other. In addition, in the particular embodiment. illustrated in the figures the clip has an additional flange 5| witha portion-52 thereof formed to extendparallel to the -web I as does also the portion 41 of'the flange 40'. There also is provided an additionalflangel4,-similar to flange l8, extendingin the-plane of the web 5 and generallyparallel to the flange.

A feature 'of'theinvention embodiedin the clip "0 of theflguresisthat provided'by the fingers "which are formed in flanges I, 9, 49 and '4, these flanges being those which will bear upon th outer face of. the panel or. plaster board or base. The fingers 60 maybe formed'by suitably cutting or' slitting the material-of the flanges IJ, lsi-and iland bendingthe tongue or flnger thereby formed "outwardly as shown in the figures, with.

the end portion 6! thereof bent over so as to 'be' in angular or-evennormai. relation to the plane of the flanges. It will be apparent that the plaster.

disclosed, in allowing movement the .coating and boards or panels may, be inserted between the flanges, as in the manner described, and that the fingers will be positioned'outwardly of the outer faces of these plaster boards. or panels. After the boards orpanelsare in place, and particularly with penetrable materialsuchas gypsumplaster board or other common wall boards or plaster base panels, the flngers then may be :caused to enter the plaster board or'panel, for example, by'striking the finger with a hammer to cause the end thereof to puncture the upper cover sheet ofthe plaster board and to enter the core material.

There is thus secured the grip on anchoring of the clip Ilil itself to the plaster board or base so that when the plaster coating is applied thereto the base to which it adheres as well as the cliparest'rongly held together in rigid relation. Astheclip of Fig. 1 is not attached to the studdingor ceiling beams, movement of this studding orbeams withrespect to the clip may take place without transmitting any destructive force to th plaster board and'the plaster coating. carried thereby. It willbe apparent, as openings are formed in the respective flanges by virtue of formingtheseflngers 62, that the plaster to some extent may enter the space thus provided and assist in the gripand anchorage of' the'coating thereto. r

From the above description and a consideration of Fig. 1 it will'be apparent that clips of the type described maybeused at the joint between wallboards toholdthe edges thereof in proper relation to form a plaster receiving base. The fingers which are struck out from the flanges may be embedded inthe faces of the boards whichare at the room side of the wall. As above described, the clip of the invention may be placed to hold the boards either while bearing upon a stud or support at the rear of the wall or whilefree of such support. This relation of the'support-and the clip of the invention by'suitably forming the flanges may occur either at the flat wall or at a corner between walls. Particularly when used in connection with clips of the type disclosed in my 'co-pending application above referred to a strong support for the plaster facing and its base together with provision for move ment, settlement or deflection of the support without transmitting the destructive. forces of said movement to saidfacing and said bas may be secured.

This present application is a division of my co-pending U. S. application, Serial No. 249,545, flied Jan. 6, 1939, Patent No. 2,258,574 of Oct. 7, 1941.

Having thus claim:

1. A clip for engagement with the edges of wallboards to be supported ina wall construction which comprises a pair of flanges like-extending and in spaced relation, a portion of the clip connecting said flanges to leave the space therebetween open at one end for the edge portion of a wallboard to be placed therebetween, a finger having an end portion angle to the other portion thereof, saidflnger having said other portion thereof hingedly attached-to said-clip with saidendportion free, said flnger being so formed and so positioned adjacent to one'of said flanges with said free end portion extending toward said flange that when said finger is hingedly moved upon said point of attachment said free end portion thereof .will pass by the flange and through the plane theredescribed my invention, I now thereof extending ,at an of to enter the face of a wallboard placed between the flanges.

21A sheet metal clip for engagement of the edges of wallboards to be supported in a wall construction which comprisesa web, a pair of flanges like-extending from said web, said flanges being spaced apart a distance suflicient to provide a space open at the end opposite the web for the edge portion of a wallboard to be placed therebetween, a finger having an end portion thereof bent at an angle to the other portion thereof, said finger having said other portion thereof hingedly attached to said clip with said end portion free, said finger being so formed and so positioned adjacent to one of said flanges with said free end portion extending toward said flange that when said finger is hingedly moved upon said point of attachment said free end portion thereof will pass by the flange and through the plane thereof to enter the face of a wallboard placed between the flanges.

3. A sheet metal clip for engagement of the edges of wallboards to be supported in a wall construction which comprises a web, a pair of flanges like-extending from said web, a second pair of flanges connected to said web and having at least the end portions thereof like-extending but in planes which are at an angle to the planes of said first pair of flanges, said flanges of each of said pairs being spaced apart adistance sufficient to provide a space open at the ends opposite the web for the edge portion of a wallboard to be placed therebetween, a finger associated with at least one flange of each of said pairs of flanges, said finger having an end portion thereof bent at an angle to the other portion thereof, said finger having said other portion thereof hingedly attached to said clip with said end portion free, said finger being so formed and so positioned adjacent to its flange witKsaid free end portion extending toward said flange that when said finger is hingedly moved upon said point of attachment said free end portion thereof will pass by the flange and through the plane thereof to enter the face of a wallboard placed between the flanges.

4. A wall construction comprising a wallboard mounted with the face thereof like-extending with the face of the wall, and a pair of flanges like-extending and in spaced relation, a portion of the clip connecting said flanges to leave the space therebetween open at one end, said clip being positioned with the edge portion of the wallboard between said flanges, said clip being provided with a finger having an end portion thereof extending at an angle to the other portion thereof, said finger having said other portion thereof hingedly attached to said clip with said end portion free, said finger being so formed adjacent to one of said flanges portion extending toward said said flnger is hingedly moved and so positioned with said free end flange that, when upon said point of attachment said free end portion thereof will pass by the flange and through the plane thereof to enter the face of the wallboard placed between said flanges.

5. A wall construction comprising a plurality of wallboards each having parallel faces and mounted with their edges adjacent in wall forming relation, and a clip inserted between said adjacent edges of said boards, said clip having for each wallboard a pair of flanges in spaced relation extending generally parallel to each other and to the faces of the respective wallboards, said flanges being connected together by a common connection to leave the space therebetween open at the end opposite the connection the edge portion of the respective wallboards being inserted in said space between the flanges, a finger associated with at least one flange of each pair. said finger having an end portion thereof extending at an angle to the other portion thereof,

said finger having said/ other portion thereof hingedly attached to said clip with said end portion free, said finger being so formed and so positioned adjacent; to said flange with said free end portion extending toward said flange that when said finger is hingedly moved upon said point of attachment said free end portion thereof will pass by the flange and through the plane thereof to enterthe face of the wallboard upon which said flange extends.

6. A sheet metal clip for engagement with the edges of wallboards to be supported in a wall construction which comprises a web, a pair of flanges like-extending from said web, said flanges being spaced apart a distance suflicient to provide a space open at the end opposite the web for the edge portion of a wallboard to be placed therebetween, a finger struck from the metal of one of the flanges but attached to the clip at the portion thereof adjacent the web with the outer end portion of the finger free of the flange, said finger being bent at said outer end portion at an angle to the portion thereof which is attached to the clip, said finger initially having said portion attached to the clip extending outwardly at an angle to the plane of the flange with said outer end portion extending again toward the plane of the flange, whereby when said finger is hingedly moved upon the point of attachment to the clip said outer end portion will pass through the plane of the flange in the space of said flange from which said finger was struck.

7. A wall construction according to claim 5 in which the wallboards which are mounted with their edges adjacentform a corner in the wall construction and in which the clip inserted between said adjacent edges has the parallel flanges of one pair of flanges which is connected to the common connection extending at an angle to the parallel flanges of the other pair of flanges connected to said common connection.

MARSHALL L. LEARY. 

